Haunted by Death, Even in His Dreams
by FireBlaze401
Summary: After the battle with the dragons, Natsu and Gray take a long deserved rest. But when Gray has a nightmare about his death, how will Natsu react? Established NatsuxGray


Still not the fic that I'm working on but the idea was bothering me. And I've haven't seen a fic like this yet so I wanted to write it. I'm torturing Gray a bit too much :P Oh well, he's in for even more later. I used line breaks so separate dream from reality.

Just to be clear, this _is_ yaoi. I've never written yaoi before so let me know how I do? Please?

Read and Review!

Disclaimer: Don't own Fairy Tail.

* * *

Natsu watched his lover sleep peacefully. The soft even breaths of the raven haired mage spooned up against him echoed throughout the room and Natsu couldn't help but notice how innocent and cute Gray looked like this. Gray usually wore a scowl on his face, and if not, a mask of indifference. The raven had only begun to smile more often soon after he began dating Natsu. That smile, that grin, so filled with childish joy made Natsu's heart flutter. Even if it was small, the smile added an emotion to the ice mage that Natsu had not seen in all his years of knowing him: love.

The battle with the dragons was over. Lucy and Yukino had closed the Eclipse Gate and Future Rogue had been defeated. But something still bothered him. There was an uncomfortable nagging in the back of his mind that he had missed something of grave importance, something that he should not have missed. He thought back to the battle. The damage done to the city of Crocus was tremendous. He remembered his fight with Future Rogue; the anger and grief that coursed through his veins at Future Lucy's death, the pain of being hit over and over again and the drive to bring a future where everyone was smiling. On top of that, he had fought with and on top of Atlas Flame, a fire dragon. It had reminded him of Igneel and for a brief moment on the battlefield, he had felt grief. Then came the despair filled screams he had heard from Juvia and Lyon. He knew that Gray had been with the two, but when his lover had returned, he had not looked much different from when he left. What could have caused the two mages to scream with such utter horror?

A quiet murmur from the mage sleeping next to him brought him out of his thoughts. Gray had shifted slightly so that he lay on his back, moonlight reflecting off of the raven's smooth alabaster skin. Natsu smiled softly and pressed his lips to Gray's temple, running his hands through Gray's soft raven locks as he closed his eyes and began to drift away into the lulls of slumber.

"Good night, Ice Princess."

* * *

Natsu awoke when he heard a quiet whimper come from Gray. He was instantly alert and rolled over to come face to face with the ice mage, who had once again, rolled onto his side to face Natsu. Gray's features were contorted in a painful grimace, the sheets underneath him in a death grip. Sweat rolled off of the raven's forehead as another sob escaped him. Natsu shook Gray's shoulder softly as he tried to bring him out of the nightmare.

"Gray… come on Gray, wake up," he pleaded softly.

* * *

_The flames roared as they rose higher into the sky. Another building was crushed under the heel of the mighty demon as it made its way slowly through town. A small boy watched in horror at the remains of what used to be his school. His father had been crushed by another building only a little while ago. He was scared; so so scared. He opened his mouth to speak only for him to be whisked away from the scene by his mother._

_"__Mom!" A warm hand went over his eyes as it shielded him from the devastation of Deliora. A blast of Deliora's breath attack struck the ground behind the pair and the two were sent flying. Gray landed a few feet away from his mother and looked on in horror at the blood flowing from a wound on her abdomen and tripping down from a pole. The poor woman had been impaled. Gray's mouth opened and closed uselessly as a scream threatened to tear from his throat. Tears slipped through and fell to the ground, mingling with the blood of some other unfortunate soul. Gray's mother turned to him. Dull midnight blue depths watched her son and blood trickled from the edge of her mouth as she struggled to speak._

_"__Run. Run Gray," she wheezed. Gray stubbornly shook his head._

_"__I can't leave you!" Her gaze hardened._

_"__Gray run! I can't leave but you still can! Please! You have to do this for me!" she screamed desperately. She coughed again and this time, red came erupting out of her mouth, staining her already red lips crimson. Gray took a step forward but hesitated and bit his lip. Crying out in rage and shutting his eyes, he turned on his heel and ran away. Away from the demon. Away from the fire. Away from his mother. _

I love you, Mom.

* * *

Natsu rolled Gray onto his back and hovered over him, feeling his heart clench painfully in his chest as he watched tears flow down Gray's cheeks. Using the pads of his fingers, he wiped them away only to have fresh ones pour forth, unbidden. He kissed Gray's cheek and continued to try and free him from the nightmare he was trapped in.

* * *

_The scene of the nightmare changed. He felt the tremendous release of magical power from Ur push him away from her. Despite that, he managed to remain on his feet. He watched as her body slowly turned to unmeltable ice, encasing the demon that had haunted him for so long._

_"__Ur! Please! I'll do whatever you want from now on!" he pleaded. He couldn't watch someone die for him again. He wouldn't be able to stand it. The woman simply looked back, with one of the gentlest smiles he had ever seen. He was reminded painfully of his mother. The tears pushed through, no longer caring that Gray didn't want to cry again, that he promised he wouldn't. _

_"__Don't worry. I'll live on eternally… as ice," his teacher said as the last of her faded away. The spell was complete. He would never see his master again. _

_"__Ur!"_

* * *

Natsu was sure his heart broke when he heard the broken whimpers for the raven's mother, father and teacher escape his lips. Gray sounded so despaired and hurt that he wished he had been there to comfort the poor ice mage when it had actually happened. Even now though, when Gray was fighting the terrors of his past, he was unable to do anything.

"Gray, please, wake up!"

* * *

_The scene changed again to something that he was all too familiar with: the dark street in Crocus. He watched in slow motion as the fatal attack headed straight for Juvia. Before he could think, he was already running towards her and pushing her away. He felt the pain almost instantly. It was agonizing, almost like nothing he had ever felt before but that would be a lie; he had. Gray coughed out blood. _

_As if sensing their chance, many more dragonlings opened fire. Gray felt the excruciating pain over and over, more holes riddling his body. He was sure chunks of his flesh had ripped away as well. _

_"__Huh?" he asked. He had gone into shock. Regardless of whether it was reality or a dream, he hadn't expected this much pain, only the one hit for saving Juvia. Just as he began to fall forward, another shot sounded and the last thing he saw before it all faded away was an incoming attack headed straight for his head._

"GRAY!"

* * *

Gray snapped his eyes open and immediately felt someone pushing him down. In his still sleep fogged mind, he couldn't be bothered to question who it was. All he knew was that he needed to get off. Before he could throw the person off, Gray felt an intense warmth wrap around him and pull him into an embrace. Gray turned his head to the side and immediately saw pink. _Natsu…_

"Thank god you're awake," Natsu whispered as he held the back of Gray's head tightly, but not enough to hurt.

"N-Natsu…" he stuttered, not knowing what to make of the sudden display of affection.

"You scared me. You were crying and screaming and sounded so terrified… I kept trying to wake you up but you just wouldn't open your eyes…" Gray sniffled as he lost himself in Natsu's warmth. After that nightmare, those memories, he needed something to assure him that at least one person he loved was still alive. Gray shivered as he buried his face in Natsu's muffler and let the sobs overtake his self-control. Natsu comfortingly ran his hand through Gray's hair while running his free hand up and down Gray's back and whispered quiet assurances that everything would be ok and that he was alright; they were both alright.

After what seemed like hours to Gray, the tears finally stopped. Natsu pulled the raven closer to him and inhaled the pure minty scent that was Gray. He pulled back and looked Gray in the eye. He kissed the tear tracks stemming from the puffy eyes and moved back so that he was lying on his side facing Gray. He placed his hand around Gray's waist and pulled him closer to him.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" Gray flinched for a moment but then let himself relax in Natsu's warmth once again.

"I saw everyone that I loved die again... My village, my mom and Ur... And then I saw the memory of me dying..." Natsu's eyes widened as he checked the ice mage over for wounds. He brought his hands up to Gray's face and cupped his cheeks, forcing him to look into Natsu's concerned black eyes.

"When did you die," he demanded. It was not a question. Gray nuzzled his nose into the crook of Natsu's neck.

"Just yesterday, during the battle with the dragons," he mumbled in to Dragon Slayer. Natsu felt his heart drop to his stomach. He thought back to Lyon and Juvia's screams. Then at that time...

...Gray had died.

Natsu crushed the ice mage against his body into a fierce hug and let a few tears slip down his cheeks. Gray was shocked to see Natsu cry, but said nothing and just let himself be engulfed by his Dragon Slayer's fiery embrace.

"How?" Natsu whispered. Gray shivered, even inside Natsu's warm hold on him.

"Blasted full of holes by dragonlings," he said with a tone that he didn't want to pursue the subject any further. If possible, the Dragon Slayer's grip on him tightened and he began to shake. Gray coughed as he felt the air squeezed out of his lungs but let himself be caged in the hug.

"I-I almost l-lost you..." Gray tilted his head up to meet Natsu's. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to Natsu's warm and soft ones.

"I'm still here. You haven't lost me, Natsu." The rosette continued to crush Gray's body against his but now moved one of his hands to run his fingers through Gray's hair. He pulled the ice mage's head to his chest and let his tears fall onto the pillow, some getting lost in Gray's hair as well. Gray breathed out in content at being so close to his lover.

"How did you feel... at that time?" Natsu asked hesitantly when his tears stopped. Gray frowned as he thought back. The memory of his death was still very vivid, but it wasn't something that he wanted to talk about. He met Natsu's concerned gaze and he realised that Natsu needed this; he needed to know how Gray was feeling. The raven took a deep breath. He couldn't lie to Natsu, but the rosette wouldn't like the answer.

"I... kind of thought that I deserved it..."

Natsu's eyes bugged and in a flash he had pinned Gray to the bed underneath him. He snarled, pupils dilated.

"What the fuck did you just say?!" he raged. Gray looked away guiltily.

"I just thought that... so many people died to save _me_ – my mom, dad and Ur— and I died saying Juvia... I just thought that it was finally time for me to—"

Gray stopped abruptly when he felt a stinging in his cheek and he head was roughly forced to the side. He turned back to face Natsu.

"Did you just _punch_ me?!" he asked, incredulous. Sure, it was nothing new to the pair, but still, Natsu had never punched him when the two were together like this. Gray stopped in his tracks when he saw just how his words had affected his lover. Natsu was looking at him with the most hurt and angry look he had ever seen on the rosette. Natsu cupped his cheek lovingly and Gray felt something wet fall on his cheek.

"Don't say that," Natsu demanded, looking teary eyed and livid, which was just an utterly ridiculous combination of emotions especially on the rambunctious Dragon Slayer. "Don't talk like you don't deserve to live. Don't talk like you want to leave me." Gray continued to avoid Natsu's teary gaze.

"I don't want to leave you... but I've thought about all this so many times. How would it have been different if I had never been born? Would my mother and father never have died? Would Ur not have sacrificed herself for me? I... I've wanted to see them again... so many times," Gray's voice broke and he began to cry again. "I miss them..." Natsu brought his forehead down to Gray's, touching them together lightly.

"I know you do. But dying isn't an answer. They wouldn't want you to do that. They did what they did because they wanted you to live. You've got to keep on living for their sake as well as yours. You'll see them again someday." Gray sniffled but nodded. Natsu rolled off the raven and brought him to his chest once again, reveling in his ice mage's comforting chill. He kissed the raven on his forehead.

"Sleep now. You're still alive and that's all that matters to me. I love you, Gray." The raven smiled and brought his arms around Natsu and buried his face in his Dragon Slayer's warm chest.

"Love you too."

Gray slept the rest of the night peacefully, wrapped up safely in the arms of his lover.

* * *

Well that was it! Hope you enjoyed. On another note, THE MANGA IS SO EXCITING RIGHT NOWWWW!

**Spoilers**

**HE'S FINALLY BACK TO NORMAL I'M SO HAPPY! But to be totally honest, I thought it would have been better to actually have Gray be truly evil. Mashima used the same plot device twice so soon. Besides, with the changing eye colour and everything, I honestly thought that Gray was evil. But I'm happy he's not!**

Ok, now that's seriously all. Bye~!


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